Category: News

East Border Region were delighted to be invited to Leinster House on Thursday to attend the launch of the Cross Border Report: Communities and Cross Border Co-operation: Challenges and Opportunities. The report which was commissioned by the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement highlights the difficulties imposed by BREXIT and key recommendations going forward to ensure cross border co-operation remains at the forefront of future planning and fund distribution.

This report follows representation made by East Border Region to the Good Friday Committee in February 2019.

East Border Region Chairman Cllr Aidan Campbell, CEO Pamela Arthurs and Development Officer Sharon Digby attended the launch event and are pictured with Committee Chair Sean Crowe TD, Deputies Declan Breathnach TD, Margaret O’Sullivan TD, Brendan Smith TD, Senator Niall O’Donaghaile , Senator Gerard Craughwell and Mickey Brady MP.

East Border Region held its first Board meeting following the recent Local Government Elections in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on Wednesday 26th June 2019. Out of a total Board of 18, 12 new members were appointed to EBR by their corresponding Local Authorities.  Chairman Cllr Aidan Campbell welcomed new members and paid tribute to previous long standing members who are no longer EBR Board Members.

“I am delighted to welcome you all to this East Border Region Board meeting.  Firstly I would like to congratulate you on your recent success in the local Government Elections, I know that for a number of you this is your first time to be elected so many congratulations and I hope you enjoy your time as an elected representative.  Congratulations also to those Councillors who have been re-elected.

Secondly, can I thank you for your interest in East Border Region, and on behalf of myself and the staff I would like to welcome you all onto the Board and we really look forward to working in Partnership to continue to build on our success over the past 40 plus years, and to ensure that the organisation continues to thrive in the future.

I would like to pay tribute to the Councillors who are no longer on the Board, some due to retirement, some unfortunately did not get re-elected, and a number have not been nominated onto the Board.  These Councillors were fully supportive of EBR, and they worked tirelessly to build up strong, resilient, cross border relationships.

As a result of the recent elections we have 12 new Board members.  That is a significant change in personnel for a small organisation, and whilst it represents challenges in terms of people getting to know each other, building up trust and learning to work in Partnership, it also represents an excellent opportunity to re-invigorate the organisation, to bring new ideas and perspectives on board, and to re-build a strong sense of identity for EBR members”.

EBR look forward to getting to know our new Board Members over the coming months and working together for the mutual benefit of our cross border region.

At its Annual General Meeting held on Friday 7^th December 2018, in the Four Seasons Hotel, Monaghan, East Border Region (EBR) were delighted to appoint Cllr Aidan Campbell from Monaghan County Council as Chairman for the incoming year.

East Border Region is a Local Authority led organisation comprising six-member Local Authorities, Monaghan, Louth and Meath County Councils in the Republic of Ireland and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon and Ards & North Down Borough Councils in Northern Ireland.

East Border Region has vast experience in both the delivery and financial management of EU INTERREG Programmes since the INTERREG IIIA Programme 2000-2006. In the current INTERREG VA Programme EBR is responsible for the financial management of eight projects totalling €91 million. Due to the nature of the INTERREG VA Programme EBR has partnered with external Organisations such as Intertrade Ireland, NI Water, Irish Water and Ulster University in the delivery of these cross-border projects.

EBR have also submitted a €9 million INTERREG VA project application under an Electric Vehicle call. This project will see the installation of 73 rapid charge points across the eligible area. In addition, the project will comprise an extensive publicity and promotion campaign. EBR are delighted to the be lead partner on this exciting and innovative project and look forward to the successful roll out in 2019.

Speaking at the AGM Cllr Campbell stated that he was delighted and honoured to accept the position of Chairman.  He paid tribute to the outgoing Chair, Alderman Jim Fletcher and stated that he hoped that he could emulate his predecessors’ achievements. “I look forward to a busy and productive year as Chairman, with the continued roll out of the INTERREG VA projects coupled with the challenges that Brexit poses. EBR in conjunction with the Border Corridor Councils have stepped up to the plate and taken a lead role in championing the needs of the cross-border region in Dublin and Westminster and I fully intend to continue in this vain”.

Delegates at the AGM received presentations on two of the eight INTERREG projects which EBR are involved in – Co Innovate – a SMEs and Micro Business support programme and CPM (Centre of Personalised Medicine) a research-based project aiming to improve diagnostic accuracy in a wide variety of diseases.

Mr Colin Stutt, Consultant delivered a presentation focusing on the challenges and opportunities for EBR as an organisation going forward and Ms Pamela Arthurs, Chief Executive of EBR highlighted the importance of EBR continuing to be proactive in championing the needs of our cross-border region.

The East Border Region Board also appointed Alderman Arnold Hatch from Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council as Vice Chair for the incoming year.

In the incoming year the Board will be focussing on the continued roll out of EU funding in the region through the INTERREG VA Programme and our continued focus to promote sustainable, cross border economic development which benefits the citizens of the region.

Pictured left to right: Ms Pamela Arthurs, CEO East Border Region, Cllr Aidan Campbell, Chairman of East Border Region 2019 from Monaghan County Council and Ald Arnold Hatch, Vice Chair of East Border Region 2019 from Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

An €8.3m EU funded environmental project which will help to restore natural habitats and protect endangered species across a range of project sites throughout Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland was launched on 12th June. The project, known as „Collaborative Action for the Natura Network‟, or „CANN‟ for short, is funded by the EU‟s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

The launch event was held in County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, and was attended by representatives from the project‟s major funding bodies and partners. The keynote speaker at the event was Ella McSweeney, an independent journalist and presenter, who has previously worked for the Guardian, BBC and RTÉ.  The CANN Project Team, a team of leading scientists, researchers, local authorities, charities and community organisations, is led by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. East Border Region (EBR) is one of the partner organisations in this vitally important project which will see actions carried out to help improve the condition of valuable habitats, to help protect vital species, and to work with local people and communities to manage these unique peatland and wetland landscapes and iconic species.

Welcoming the funding, Gina McIntyre, CEO of the Special EU Programmes Body, which manages the INTERREG VA Programme said: “The EU is committed to the protection of our shared natural environment across Europe as demonstrated through its Birds and Habitats Directives. Under the current INTERREG VA Programme approximately €84 million has been allocated to support a wide-range of cross-border environmental protection projects. This project, CANN will serve to further this European environmental policy by improving the conservation status of 3,150 hectares of natural habitats found across Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.”

Welcoming the project Councillor Mark Murnin, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne & Down District Council, said, “Newry, Mourne & Down District Council are proud to lead this important new project which will help raise awareness among cross-border communities about the potential threats to the natural habitats and endangered  species in their area. It is through effective cross-border collaboration that we can best protect, improve, restore and sustain the threatened habitats and species in our shared regions.”

Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in Ireland and Scottish Natural Heritage.  Overall, the project will focus on seven protected habitats, as well as seven priority species including birds such as the hen harrier, golden plover and red  grouse, insects such as the marsh fritillary butterfly, and freshwater species such as white- clawed crayfish.

EBR representatives attend All Island Civic Dialogue on Brexit with Key note speaker EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier and An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Click on the link below to read an article written by EBR CEO Ms Pamela Arthurs. The article focuses on ‘Brexit and the border corridor on the island of Ireland: Risks, Opportunities and Issues to Consider’ which was launched in October 2017 in the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels by the chairpersons of all 11 local authorities in the Border Corridor.

http://www.agendani.com/brexit-border-corridor/

East Border Region hosted their Annual General Meeting on Friday 15^th December in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry. Newly appointed Officer bearers for 2018 are Chairman Alderman Jim Fletcher and Vice Chairs Cllr Aidan Campbell and Cllr Kate Loughran.

The eleven local authorities that comprise the Ireland/Northern Ireland Border Corridor launched their report “Brexit and the Border Corridor on the Island of lreland: Risks, Opportunities, and Issues to consider” in the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels Wednesday 11 October 2017.

The Report has found that an economic border would be detrimental to, not only the Border Corridor, but to Ireland as a whole. It also found that whilst economic certainty is important, political certainty is essential for the border corridor to thrive and the Peace Process cannot be jeopardised.

A large delegation comprising Chairpersons, Mayors and Chief Executives from all the local authorities, who comprise the Border Corridor, travelled to Brussels to attend the event.

The size of the delegation reflects just how important this issue is, not just for local authorities, but for all the people who live and work along the Ireland/Northern Ireland border corridor.

At the Report launch, the level of interest was highly significant and the delegation met with over one hundred attendees to include Members of the European Parliament from both Ireland and Northern Ireland, Brian Carty from the European Parliament Brexit Steering Group, Andrew Elliott from the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels, Head of Ireland’s Brexit Team Emer Deane and Nina Obermaier from the European Commission’s Brexit Team.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson Councillor Roisin Mulgrew said, “The Report highlights that the Irish border area will be most affected by Brexit. The border local authorities quickly realised after the referendum of June 2016 that there would be a particular impact on the one million citizens of the border region, and they set out to quantify the actual impact and thus, as a collective, they commissioned the Report.”

Councillor Mulgrew continued, “Without a Government in the North of Ireland and negotiations taking place between Brussels and London directly, local authorities felt it necessary to champion the needs of the border region specifically and to ensure that those needs are reflected and prioritised during Brexit negotiations. Our children and grandchildren’s lives depend on decisions which will be taken over the next few years. It is our duty to get this right.  It is the contention of the Border Corridor Local Authorities that in order to do that all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement must be maintained.”

Please click the link below to download the brochure.

FINAL EBR Commitment Certificate

The  Minister for Transport,  Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD and the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD,  have today launched the EU-funded €4.95m Ulster Canal Greenway Project which will see the development of an off-road sustainable travel route between Smithborough, Co Monaghan and Middletown, Co Armagh.

The project is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The project is also supported by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in Ireland and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The project partners, led by Waterways Ireland, are Monaghan County Council, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council and East Border Region Ltd.

Minister Ross stated “This is a wonderful initiative. Greenways connect communities, promote healthier lifestyles and encourage engagement with the outdoors. They also offer active travel opportunities for both pedestrians and cyclists and have proven to be a major attraction for visitors. 

I’m very pleased to be launching Phase 2 of the Ulster Canal Greenway here today. Creating a new Greenway involves years of planning, construction and goodwill from those in surrounding lands. But it’s a commitment that delivers back to the community in spades. This Greenway promises to be a major asset to surrounding areas, as it brings the old towpaths of the disused Ulster Canal back into use and extends the Monaghan Town Greenway by 22km in a very welcome cross-border project. By 2020, the Greenway will link Smithborough, Co Monaghan to Middleton, Co Armagh.

I very much look forward to making use of it in the future and I encourage you all to do likewise.”

The Ulster Canal Greenway (UCG) Phase 2 project is a pioneering move to develop the first sustainable transport alternative for cross-border commuters between Smithborough, Co. Monaghan and Middletown, Co. Armagh. Monaghan to Northern Ireland is the second highest of all South-North commuter flows, and Armagh to Ireland is the third highest of all North-South flows. The project valued at €4.95m aims to construct 22km of new cross-border Greenway by 2020 and actively to promote commuter behavioural change through a targeted community engagement programme. It will result in a 4.5% increase in the number of cross-border journeys via walking / cycling by 2023.  The project is designed to connect with the completed Phase I section, which utilises the disused Ulster Canal to provide a highly strategic route linking the east/ west sides of Monaghan.

Minister Heather Humphreys in who’s constituency the Greenway will run, said at the launch

“I am delighted that Waterways Ireland, an agency under the remit of my own Department, have agreed to act as the lead partner for this flagship cross-border project. The first phase of the Greenway, here in Monaghan, already attracts over 100,000 users per year and has been a fantastic success since it opened in 2014. The further expansion of the Greenway will strengthen cross border relations by directly linking communities North and South of the border. The provision of this landmark recreational amenity will also provide a huge tourism boost for County Monaghan and the wider border region. “

Speaking at the event Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer with the Special EU Programmes Body, said: “When completed this cross border project will help to meet some important targets under the sustainable transport objective of the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme. It will encourage more people to get out of their cars and increase the number of cross-border journeys made by walking and cycling, thereby helping to reduce our collective carbon footprint.

“Not only will this produce many benefits for the region, but the project is also making a contribution towards the EU’s ‘Europe 2020’ strategy which has been specifically designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help safeguard the environment,” she continued.

Also attending the launch on the day were children from St John’s Primary School, Middletown, Co Armagh and Gaelscoil Ultain, St Marys Boys School and St Louis Girls School The extended Ulster Canal Greenway route will create the first cross-border greenway that will enable cyclists and walkers commute to work and study in future years.

The Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council Cllr Cathy Bennett stated ‘The 4km Monaghan Town Greenway has been a huge success and it attracts over 100,000 users annually. I am delighted that the INTERREG VA programme is supporting the next 22km section of the Ulster Canal Greenway. This new phase of the greenway will join communities north and south of the border, bringing huge benefits to our area and encouraging even more people to get out walking and cycling on a daily basis.’

Alderman Elizabeth Ingram, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council stated “A key facet of our vision is to engage and support initiatives that protect and safeguard our environment for future generations to come that is why we are delighted to partner up on the EU funded Ulster Canal Greenway project. Bringing about substantial environmental benefits whilst enhancing the quality of life in the area, this pioneering project will deliver an alternative and sustainable pathway for cyclists and walkers to commute between both sides of the border. The collaborative project highlights our commitment to growing a connected, welcoming and healthy community.”

The project will also contribute to a deepened level of partnership between key stakeholders and to the development of expertise and dissemination of best practice in delivering cross-border projects.

To view a video of the project please follow the link

https://monaghancountycouncil.sharefile.eu/d-sc81d6e096db4197a

Departments launch Co-Innovate programme

Over 1,400 SMEs to benefit from €16.6 million cross-border scheme supporting innovation

The Minister for Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has today launched the Co-Innovate programme in Monaghan, along with Permanent Secretary of the Department for the Economy, Dr Andrew McCormick.

Co-Innovate aims to increase the numbers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in research and innovation across the border region of Ireland (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan, Sligo), Northern Ireland and parts of western Scotland, from 22 per cent to 33 per cent over the next five years.

The five year €16.6 million project was the first funding offer to be announced under the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. It is one of 60 funding programmes across the European Union that have been designed to help overcome issues that arise from the existence of borders. 

It brings together the three regions’ key development agencies to deliver a programme aligned with each government’s strategic priorities, led by cross-border body InterTradeIreland in partnership Enterprise Northern Ireland, East Border Region, Local Enterprise Offices in the border region, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Launching Co-Innovate, Minister Humphreys, said: “This is a very positive development for SMEs in our border counties. Supporting SMEs is a key strategic priority for the government and it’s crucial we continue to encourage and nurture innovation.

“Initiatives like Co-Innovate are central to this goal, providing one-to-one help and mentoring for smaller companies to help embed a culture of innovation in their businesses. I would like to  acknowledge the work and contribution of the partnership of organisations that have come together to establish this important funding programme for the border region.”

Match-funding for Co-Innovate has been provided by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in Ireland, the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.  

Welcoming the funding at the Co-Innovate launch, Dr Andrew McCormick, Permanent Secretary for the Department for the Economy, said: “I’m a firm believer in the power of innovation to act as a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity. With Co-Innovate, we have a unique opportunity to drive innovation capacity among our small and medium enterprises.

“SMEs are fundamental to the economy in Northern Ireland, representing 75 per cent of our private sector turnover and employment; significantly more than for the UK as a whole. Co-Innovate will provide practical assistance to our SMEs enabling them to work towards turning innovative thinking into noticeable results which will generate a tangible legacy for years to come.”

Speaking at the launch event, Gina McIntyre Chief Executive Officer of the Special EU Programmes Body, said: “The Co-Innovate project will allow the region to make a significant contribution to the achievement of the European Union’s 2020 target of increased investment in research and innovation.

“The region, as a whole, is still characterised by low levels of innovation activity. Cross-border co-operation can however be used to help address this issue, by encouraging new partnerships between business and relevant research institutions. By working together through the Co-Innovate project, on a cross-border basis, participating businesses will become ‘innovation active’ and thereby more competitive and profitable.”

Co-Innovate gives companies the tools and tailored support to help businesses innovate, differentiate and compete successfully. The programme offers graduated levels of support including free workshops, individual business health checks, detailed innovation audits, sectoral networks, project management placements and one-to-one expert mentoring.

Neil Ryan, Co-Innovate Programme Director, said: “Every company’s innovation needs are different so each company’s journey through Co-Innovate will be unique. Over 1,400 businesses will receive support at Co-Innovate workshops over the next number of years. These workshops are aimed at demystifying innovation and helping firms understand how it can drive their company’s growth and profitability. 

“Companies who complete our workshops and subsequent assessments will be selected to take part in advanced programme supports. These advanced supports are designed to help develop detailed innovation delivery plans: bringing ideas to fruition.”

For more information on The Co-Innovate Programme, please visit co-innovateprogramme.eu